I think I have written with disasters more this month than all the years I had tanks combined. Here's another one, probably the most bizarre:

I have a beautiful clown loach that's about 6 inches long. Tonight at feeding I could not find him anywhere. It got to the point where I was on my hands and knees with a flashlight looking under furniture for him! It turns out that he found a new hiding spot. Inside his little plastic molded cave is a hole on the "roof" that is about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. He went inside this hole. How he fit in I'll never know! How he was getting out he'll never know! There was no way he was coming out. I tried to reposition the cave in differnet positions to see if that would help him find his way, but he just couldn't turn around. Then I tried to pull him out by his tail. His poor little fins acted like hooks to prevent him from coming back out. I also pulled off some slime. Now I know exactly what a slime coat is.

Finally after cracking the thing in half I got him out. However, he is not doing so good. He is laying on the bottom breathing VERY heavy and VERY quick. His mouth and his gills almost look like he is shivering.

Any advice on his breathing?
Any advice on the slime I pulled off his tail?
Any advice on any part of this?

don't know about clown loaches but I have a betta that escaped the tank for well over an hour , he was the same by the time I found him almost dried out on the carpet at the back of the tank, shivered and shook for a few hours , I honestly thought his time was up, but he got over it just fine, must have been shock.

Clown Loaches like lots of bottom dwellers really like shelter, and I have heard of loads of Cory's getting stuck in ornements, they often panic and swim into (Then get stuck) thinks like hollow tree trunk ornements. I have seen Zebra Loaches go on a hiding spree fro days, almost buried into the gravel under stones.

Hope you don't mind me asking, is this your only Clown Loach, they really are a shoaling fish, and are happier and more confident (Less likely to hide) if they are in groups.

This is currently my only clown loach. To make matters worse he is in a 20 gal. tank with two 6" plecos, a very large (7-8") blue lobster, a 3' rainbowfish, three large cory's, a beautiful cherry barb, and two pearl danios. Way, way, way overcrowded in a way, way way, small tank!

I just got the whole set-up from someone that was moving. The goal is to stabilize them in my water for about a week (that's tomorrow) and then split the fish up into my tanks.

UPDATE: It is about 12 hours after the "rescue" and he seems to be swimming and eating fine.

When he gets to his new home he will get two buddies and I am currently building the Trump Tower of Caves/Tunnels.

While I am cutting rock and buidling caves/tunnels I can build some for others. I am looking to trade for some clown loaches among other things. I can assure you that these will be the greatest fish decorations you own!